Clutch.



PATENTED SEPT. 24, 1907. S, G. ANKER HOLTH,

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.4,1906.

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SEVERIN o. ANKER HOLTII, or RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1907.

. Applioation'filed September 4, 1906. Serial No- 333,188-

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, Snvnmn O. ANKER-HOLTI-I, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Riverside, in

the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to that class of clutches known as friction clutches. I

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient-clutch.

A further object is to provide a properly balanced friction clutch, the members of which are adapted to be connected as firmly and rigidly aspossible when they are to be rotated together, and having friction members adapted to be instantly completely released or disengaged so as to permit the instant free and 1m retarded rotation thereof with relation to each other when required.

Other and further objects of the invention will ap pear from examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an end view in elevation of a clutch constructed in accordance with my improvements, with the retaining disk or vwasher shownin Fig. 2 removed. Fig. 2 a central sectional view in elevation; Fig. '3 a view, in side-elevation with a portion of the outer clutch member broken away; Fig. 4 a view in transverse sectional elevation taken on line 4 of Fig.3 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 5 a detail view in side elevation of the inner clutch member. Fig. 6 a detail view, showing the inner face of the inner clutch member and Fig.

tatable with relation to the connected clutch member.

and shaft when the clutch mechanism is in releasing position. The inner clutch member is preferably an.-

opposite'sides of the axial center and cut into the inner face of such clutch member, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The outer clutch member I) is provided with an annular flange or rim g, the inner annular surface [I of which forms a friction surface which is adapted to be engaged by the outer annular surface portions j of intermediate connecting or friction inechanism comprising friction the radial slot of the inner clutch member.

members or shoes '5. These intermediate friction members or shoes have circular outer friction surface portions and are mounted on opposite sides of the inner clutch member and between it and the annular flanged portion of the outer clutch member. Being separate and mounted as described, the slices are movable diametrically in opposite directionsoutward laterally into binding frictional engagement with the inner peripheral face of the outer clutch member and are adapted to be instantly released by moving directly inward toward the axial center of the clutch and toward each other. They are of equal weight and the clutch is thus well balanced at all times whether in locked or releasing position. The opposite ends k of these inter mediate friction members or shoes are mounted a suffi cient distance apart so as to provide spaces Ztherebetween adapted to admit levers for engaging the inner clutch member and for pressing the shoes into binding frictional engagement with the outer clutch member and also forreleasing and rotating the shoes or friction mechanism with relation to the outer clutch member when in releasing position.

Lever mechanism for accomplishing the purposes sugtween' the ends of the shoes or intermediate friction members, and the inner ends of which are mounted in Each of these levers has on one side a preferably substantially fiat surface portion 11, which extends to the outer cn'ds of'the levers and is adapted to engage the end face of one of the friction members 2'. An inner flat side face portion 0, on the same side of each of the levers and near the inner ends thereof,- is adapted to'engage the'sidc wall of the slot f of the inner clutch member and operatively connect such inner clutch member with the fric-' tion members or shoes. Each of the levers is provided with a lateral lug p adjacent to the outer face portion q of the inner clutch-member 'for preventing the levers from moving too far inward or toward the center of .the clutch. The opposite side of each ofthe lovers n is convex or curved forming curved outer end or side surface portions rand curved inner end or side surface por tions 8 on the same side of each lever for engaging the in ner clutch member. A circular retaining disk or washer t is provided having a large axial opening which encircles the outer end portion u of the inner clutch member and engages an annular shoulder portion 12, being held in place by means of the cotter pin e, already described, which may also serve to hold the inner clutch member in engagement with the shaft. 'Either the outer or the inner clutch member may be connected so as to rotate with the shaft, and any desired known means may be employed for forming such connection, in lieu of the cotter pin. irks here shown the inner clutch member rotates with the shaft, and the outer main clutch mem elements by the lever and shoe mechanism aboye described;

The outer clutch member is provided with ahulfportion to upon which suitable driving or driven mechanism such as a crank, lever, gear or pulley or other de sired form of gearing may be mounted. The outwardly projecting hub portion u ofthe inner clutch member is adapted to permit either suitable I driving or driven mechanism to be mounted upon or operatively connected with such clutch member. When desirable, the

' shaft 0 is adapted to have a lever or crank secured thereto so that a step'by step or reciprocating motion of such crank and shaft may produce a contiullo us rotary motion of the outer clutch member and a continuous rnove inent of the mechanism to be driven thereby, the em 7 gagement and release of the parts being silent and positive and practically without lost motion, and the release being instamtaneous and without any perceptible adhesion 0r sticking and consequent loss of power. The levers are at all times in actual contact with the friction shoes and with the inner clutch member, and, during the movement of the parts to securing or connected position, are iulcrumed upon the shoe mechanism. When in connected position the outer clutch member and shoe mechanism hold the levers with great rigidity-in position to prevent the rotation of the inner clutch member with relation to the shoe mechanism and outer clutch member, and when the parts are in releasing positiom the innerclutch member holds the leverswith equal rigidity in position to resist the tendency of the friction shoe mechanism to rotate with the outer clutch. member. The levers thus hold the l'rietion shoes in releasing position, and yet they are at all time'sin articulate engagement with such shoes and adapted to move them, with the minimum extent of movement or play between the parts, into securing frietional' engagement with the ou ter rotatable clutch memposition the inner ends of the le'vcrs are l'ulcrumedupon the inner. clutchmember, and they are opera! -d by'tln- I inner clutchmc nberwhile so lulcrumed 'l'or releasing:

bef. Each lever is in actual engagement with a plural' I ity of shoes and each shoe with a plurality of the lovers,

and each shoe cooperates with the lever mechanism in pressing the othershoe into securing or connecting p0 sition. The friction or wearing surface of the shoes is thus so great that the loosening of the parts due to the wearing away of 'the parts is reduced to a minimum, and,the levers beingfulcrmned directly upon the shoes and inner clutch rn'eml cr -the clficiency ol upon tlrem reduced to a minimum. ,Duriiigihe movcmerit oithe parts to releasing position and while in such the shoes from securingengagement and holding thcni in such rclpased position. The shoes and lovers are in constant; contact with the outer clutch inemlu-iyaml when, the outer member is employed as the driver and the inner member the driven member, the action of the outer member upon the sides of the shoes in constant contacttherewith is communicated to the levers with the desired certainty producing instant securing engagement or connection between the parts.

The clutching and unclutching' of the driving and driven members is effected automatically. 'lhc rotation'of the inner clutch member for instance -in one direction causes the levers on opposite sides thereof to press the friction shoes outward into securing frictional engagement with the outer clutch member. ".lhis on gagement takes place automatically or as the result of turning either ol' the main clutch members in a given direction with relation to the other. lurning the inner .clutch member in the opposite direction from that above described, or stopping it, releases the prossurl': upon the levers, and the shoes are thus automatically released from clutching engagenu-nt with the outer clutch member, and the automatic unclutching ol' the driving and driven members is thus accomplished.

Assuming that the inner clutch nn-mbcr is the one secured to the driving shall, its rotation in lhe (lllttJ- tion necessary to bring the driving and driven llltlll bers into clutching position results in the fulcrum pints of the levers being at their extreme outer ends ..'.here they engage the shoes at the greatest distance from the center olthe device-the power being applied to the levers where they engage the inner clutch member, and the weight point being between the power and fulcrum, or at the point where the convex I'm-c ol' the lever engages the inner corner of the shoe to press it outward the inner clutch member is mounted is stopped or rotated in-the opposite dircctionso to relrase the outward pressure upon the shoesautomatically, it will be noted that the levers still perform an important lunction-namcly, holding-tho shoes against rotation and in position to permit the rotation ol the outer clutch member rblalivcly to the inner one. When the shoes are thus bcihg held in rch asing position by the lovers thciulcrums of the lovers are at or near their inner ends where they are in engagement with the inner clutch member, andthe weight point is at their outer ends where they engage the shoes to hold them against rotation, the power being applied at points between the weight and fulcrum.

I claim:

, 1 A clutch "lug 2t pnir oi relatively rotatable main clutch members, trletion shoes movable Into and out of securing l'rlcliolml engagement with one of such main clutch members. and :1 plurality of levers each in engagement with u plurality ot.sn'ch friction shoes and with the other main clutch member. L. A clutch having a pair of rotatnble clutch members, friction shoes in enga ement with one of such main clutch members, and a plur llli ol' levers each having one end operativcly conmu ed with one of the main clutch nuunbcrs and huvln ile end portion in engagement with a plurality of suchl f 'ietion shoes. v

5%., A clutch having a pair r [inner and ,outer rotatable 'll.ltelr Inembersf shoe mecl n'ni movh h: into and out n: engagement with W and levers havlng' tpihin'noi .--ud-1nn-llons in engagement with the inner ,ljulch. memlx and .their outer port-ions lulcrumed upon ally the inner clutch meml le thereof.

A clutch having :i pair of i'clativelv rotatable clutch members, lever mechanism for connectingsuch 'clulch mmnhors and permitting the release tln rool nml means When the driving shalt or shaft upon which 0 01. such rolnlatlile clutch shoe merhnmsm lnler-.

"RADIO clutch. membem SIZGGS nmvugle into and out carping cu m ent with one 21 101: clutch :ad levers ha dng Lheir inn u ions i7; npemtive or umeut inner one mains c'iutuh memlvers mm 011ml ends in engug mem vim such shoe mechanism on opposite Hades 0;. centrui portien'ni' the c ivch 'l. A dutch ha.

SE VERY C. AN HEILHGLT [1. 

